The High/Scope Curriculum is a developmentally based approach to early childhood education. This curriculum's "Extensions" newsletter, in which the articles in this collection first appeared, informs curriculum users about new development, relating to the High/Scope "open framework" curriculum. This collection divides the…

In child-centered education programs, children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and teachers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a…

Although the United States has seen a record influx of infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children into the foster care system in the past decade, there has not been an accompanying shift in policy or practice to attend to the developmental issues these younger children bring to child welfare. This textbook addresses the spectrum of child…

This chapter is part of a book that recounts the year's work at the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) at Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Rather than an "elitist" laboratory school for the children of university faculty, the ECDC is a collaboration between the Corpus Christi Independent School District and the…

Based on the view that play builds the foundation for lifelong learning, this 3-volume set of videotapes (in English and Spanish versions) with accompanying facilitators guide depicts a wide variety of parents/caregivers playing with infants and toddlers to highlight the importance of playing and interacting in ways that support and expand…

Reviews research on three issues related to the first edition of the developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children: (1) the prevalence of DAP; (2) teachers and parents beliefs about DAP and influence of beliefs on practice; and (3) how appropriate and inappropriate practice…

This article reviews the rationales and premises of the Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) approach and early childhood special education (ECSE), highlighting areas of overlap. DAP's insufficiencies for planning, implementing, and evaluating ECSE programs are noted. A selective literature review clarifies issues separating the two areas,…

The purpose of this article is to question the amount of time that beginning readers should spend reading connected text in school. Based on a study of 66 children in 26 classrooms, the authors found that children in first-grade classrooms with "less" reading of connected text achieved more in their phonics learning than children in classrooms…

Since 1982, the Ounce of Prevention Fund's network of Parents Too Soon (PTS) programs for teen parents throughout Illinois has supported communities, programs, and families through a mix of mechanisms: funding, program development, extensive training and support, and public policy advocacy. This article describes a qualitative view of how…

This synthesis of the research literature on early intervention for young children with disabilities focuses on factors that contribute to quality, and then reviews what is known about two types of tools for young children with disabilities: toys and technology. It begins by examining current perspectives on quality education for all children,…

This report presents the main findings of the first phase of an ongoing study on improving the quality of children's early learning in England and Wales. The purpose of the project is to investigate the ways in which early learning in group settings can be improved by raising the quality of the practice of those professionals who work with young…

In response to parent complaints about the curriculum at an urban child care center, a procedure was developed to provide parents and teachers with an understanding of developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A curriculum that was developmentally and culturally relevant to the children at the school was also developed. The entire…

This guide provides early childhood educators with information that will facilitate the construction of a developmentally appropriate curriculum for children from birth through kindergarten age. Such a curriculum: views cognitive, language, affective, and physical development as interrelated and interdependent; is appropriate for the child's age…

Noting that play is an essential aspect of learning for young children, this book presents a collection of articles on children's play in Australia. Part 1, "Play, Development, and Learning," contains the following chapters: (1) "The Role of Play in Development and Learning" (Ann Glover); (2) "Stop, Look, and Listen:…

The use of naturalistic teaching procedures in developmentally appropriate early childhood settings was evaluated in two single subject studies. Acquisition and maintenance of skills within developmentally appropriate play contexts were demonstrated by a preschooler with Down's syndrome and one with mild developmental delay. (DB)